To be a Hero
by rage2
Summary: *chapter 5* The feast (as well as the embarassment of Vegita) has begun! But not everything is all fun and games...
1. 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Dragonball Z in any form. All characters and names relating to DBZ are copyright DBZ. However, there are characters belonging to me. So if I see you've stolen them, well…let's just say the problem will be resolved 'out of court'.

**Author's Note: **Enjoy! J

    The sky above the Southern Islands were blue and empty except for the gulls that occasionally dropped from their sanctuary to catch food from the ocean below. The waves rolled gently onto shore as the men of the Tai clan pushed their boats to gather food for themselves. The older sons were with their fathers while their younger brothers and sisters helped the women in other tasks.

    Everyone had something to do. Except for two men who appeared to be doing nothing. One was a resident of the islands; he had dark skin, black hair cut in a long mohawk and a skinny body. This was Ubuu, the strongest man of the Tai clan. His friend was not from the islands. He was white, which scared the clan at first. Their previous encounters with the white man had been unpleasant if not hostile. But when he proved to be an honorable man, they forgot the color. He did have the same black hair and eyes as most of the clan. He called himself Goku.

    Goku promised Ubuu that he would train him and he set about it the first day. If Ubuu had to work in the fields, Goku made him do it with his hands. If Ubuu had to fish, no spear or net was to be used. Ubuu had to dive into the water and swim after the fish. At first, he caught many fish but as the weeks passed he eventually got enough fish that it sunk his boat. Fortunately, Goku was there to carry the boat back to shore. The tribe had a great feast that night.

    The saiyan gave Ubuu moral support by helping the boy. He would fish and farm alongside his apprentice. When they had spare time, Goku taught Ubuu how to fly, to launch energy attacks and to sense the spiritual energies of other people. This morning and the previous night, Goku had been battling Ubuu on an astral plane. It was nearly ten when Ubuu suddenly gasped and rested on all fours.

    Goku slowly opened his eyes. He looked approvingly at the boy. He had become far more powerful than Goku could have imagined in such a short time. He was ready for the next level.

   "I did not believe I could last for so long." Ubuu said, panting.

   "Very impressive." Goku said, nodding.

   "I will have to train much harder if I wish to win." The boy continued.

   "Funny you should mention that." Goku said, smirking. He stood up and left the hut. Ubuu remained sitting and then followed, giving into his curiosity. Goku had gone to his hut (which he had built himself in two minutes). He went in, leaving Ubuu to wait outside. When the saiyan came out he carried two wrist guards and two ankles braces. He placed them on the floor.

   "Put them on." He said. Ubuu looked at them for a second, then lifted one of the wrist guards. 

   "It is heavy." The boy said, surprised by the weight.

   "It weighs ten kilograms." Goku replied, "Or one basket of fish." Ubuu's eyes bulged.

   "You want me to carry four baskets of fish?" Ubuu asked in disbelief.

   "Even when you sleep." Goku said. Ubuu could only stare open-mouthed as his teacher walked past him towards the ocean. As he walked, Goku looked back.

   "You want to do well in the tournament, right?" he asked. Ubuu closed his mouth and nodded. He put the wrist guard on and bent down to pick up the other.

    Goten sighed in exasperation as another of his classmates slid down the rope, giving up after three feet. As the boy tried to shake the rope-burn off, Goten wished he were in chemistry class. He did not particularly enjoy that subject either, but it was more exciting than gym and that was the class Trunks was in. 

    A smile appeared on Goten's face as he remembered the time when he and Trunks had made a small explosion during the class. This had been the third time within a month. The school decided it would be safer if the two friends were not in the same chemistry class. Due to the switch, Goten only had two classes with Trunks: English and math. Goten was happy that Trunks was in his math class and Trunks was happy that Goten was in his English class.

   "Goten!" the gym yelled. "If you think this is funny, see if you can't do better than Rick." The smile faded as he heard that name. Rick. He could not stand to hear anything about him let alone see him. Rick was the school's quarterback and that made him quite popular amongst the girls. Everywhere he went, he would hear the beautiful and snobby girls talking about him. Goten never paid attention to what they said about Rick, but he always heard what they said about him. That he was pathetic because he preferred humor and intelligence to sports and stupidity. He said nothing back, which is why Rick enjoyed pestering him with his taunts and his shoves. Trunks was also on Rick's "To bully" list. Though one of them could kill the quarterback with one blow, it was for that very reason that the both of them refused to fight back. 

    But whenever Goten had a chance to wipe that smirk off of Rick's face, he went for it. This was one of them. The rope thirty feet long and Rick climbed it in fifteen seconds. Goten smiled again as he stepped up to the rope. The teacher clicked his watch. Goten jumped up the first five feet. For the next ten feet, Goten easily but slowly climbed up hand over hand, letting his feet dangle. When he was halfway up, Rick decided to open his mouth.

   "Don't fall Shorty!" he said. Goten glared at him, bearing his teeth. If there was anything in the world that Goten hated more than being called 'Shorty', he had not encountered it yet. He was in fact the shortest in his grade. But he detested when they made fun of his height. Trunks called him by that name once. A bloody nose put an end to that. And to add insult to injury, Rick was the one saying it.

    Goten had a vision of himself letting go of the rope and tackling Rick. But someone else told him to keep going. He turned back to the rope and climbed the rope faster, possibly faster than a normal human should.

   "Twenty-five seconds." The teacher announced as Goten climbed back down. Now, he was furious. Rick had humiliated him more than he could imagine. The bell rang. As the class left the gym, Rick elbowed Goten as he walked past. 

   "So long Shorty." He said. Goten growled and turned his hands into fists. A hand on his shoulder doused the fire.

   "Cool it." A girl said, "You're just feeding his ego." Goten looked at the pretty brunette behind him.

   "Hard not to." He said.

   "He's a predator." She said, taking her hand off Goten's shoulder, "And a good one at that. But you're smarter so he shouldn't be able to get to you." Goten smiled.

   "As always Jessica, you are right." She smiled back. Goten offered his arm. She linked her arm around his and they walked out together.

    At the end of the day, Goten and Jessica were waiting by the front of the school. Rick passed by them, but Goten turned his back to them, ignoring their taunts. Once he had left, another voice called him.

   " About time." He said to the newcomer.

   "Sorry," a white-haired, blue-eyed boy said, "History teacher had to give us a little extra work just because it was the week-end."

   "That's a shame." Goten said mockingly.

   "Shut up."

   "Trunks," Jessica spoke up, "Where's Sasha?"

   "She wanted to ask Mr. Brooks about something." He replied, "She also has a physics test to do. She doesn't want us to wait up for her."

   "Good, then we can get home sooner." A gruff voice said. They turned and saw a man with a loose fitting t-shirt, blue jeans, and black hair that stood straight up.

   "Why?" Trunks asked his father.

   "Forgetting your little sister's ballet show?" Vegita asked. Trunks jaw dropped. Goten started to laugh.

   "Are you serious?" Trunks asked, shocked, "We have to go to that?"

   "Quit your whining, I don't like it anymore than you do." He looked at Goten. "And stop laughing kid. Your niece is in it too, so your mother is probably dragging you along."

   "Nope," Goten said with a smile on his face, "Already bought my way out of it. I don't have to go so long as I do all the dishes tomorrow." He started to laugh again. Trunks and Vegita growled and glared at him.

   "Shut up!" they yelled at him in unison. Goten continued to laugh.

   "That's it!" Vegita said, "I'll make sure that you get into the tournament and fight me." Goten stopped laughing instantly.

   "You mean the World Fighting Tournament?" Goten asked. Vegita nodded. The boy was about to forgive himself when Jessica made him forget that.

   "I heard Rick was going to be in that."

   "Your sure of this." Trunks asked, his eyes lighting up. Jessica nodded.

   "I'm in." Goten quickly said.

   "Same here."

   "I like this Rick kid." Vegita said. Then he saw the looks Goten and Trunks gave him, "Not for long apparently."


	2. 2

    The rain poured from the gray sky as lightning danced across the low clouds. The winds howled, helping the ocean to unleash its fury. The Tai clan remained in their huts, doing their best to keep warm and dry. The men patched up leaks while the women kept the fire going. The children sat near the fire. Some of the boys would help their fathers. This is how the Tai clan spent their time during storms.

    When he was younger, Ubuu would help his father plug the leaks. Usually his hut was the driest. But now that Goku was there, Ubuu would spar with the saiyan during the storms. At first Ubuu was reluctant; his speed was what kept the house dry. But Goku assured him that it would be all right. After the first storm with Goku, Ubuu noticed that no water came into the huts, or any of the huts for that matter. Ubuu could not understand how, but he was pleased.

    His thoughts were no longer on the huts. With each battle, Goku's blows came faster and harder. He dodged Ubuu's jabs easily and blocked his kicks, feeling no pain. But Ubuu also noticed that he too was becoming faster and tougher. Even with the weights that Goku added, he was doing better. Ubuu believed that he really was becoming stronger.

    But Goku knew the truth. Ubuu may have become stronger, but what was really happening was Buu's powers were being unlocked. Though the evil had been eliminated, the demon's spirit still possessed all its strength. Though Goku wanted to explain this to the boy, he knew he could not, for it would disappoint the boy as well as frighten him. It's not everyday your told you're the reincarnation of a demon that destroyed hundreds of worlds, killing billions.

    After a few minutes of hard punches and swift kicks, Goku called for a time-out. Ubuu stopped in mid-air. He was glad his master had taught him this so soon. He loved it when he could see his entire island at once. It was a beautiful place.

    Goku was standing on the ground. The rain was coming down hard, yet it could not move Goku's wild hair. The saiyan stared at the boy for a while, who was catching his breath. Then he lifted a finger into the air. He swung his entire arm down.

    And lightning struck Ubuu. He yelped, more from surprise than from pain. Goku was able to recognize that. That pleased him. But the fact Ubuu was his disappointed him.

   "You should be faster than that." He said as a numb Ubuu stood up, "You should have felt that coming and moved out of the way." He pointed to the sky again. Ubuu looked and the bolt coming. He jumped out of the way. He looked again and then turned to his right as another bolt sizzled passed him. Another bolt came. He dodged it but before it hit the ground, it u-turned and headed for the boy. He started to fly backwards. That's when he felt the skin on the back of his neck crawl. He ducked and a streak of lightning passed over, colliding with the other bolt.

   "Very good!" Goku said from fifty feet below him. "You're starting to feel, not see. That's what I want." Ubuu smiled, but it quickly vanished as he sidestepped another bolt. Goku's hands were still at their sides. The bolt started to track Ubuu. Then another. And another. Pretty soon Ubuu was zigzagging through the sky, avoiding eight bolts. As avoided one of them, he realized he trapped himself. The lightning had surrounded him. Wondering what to do as the bolts drew nearer, Ubuu realized Goku never said he could fire back. He screamed and energy erupted from his body. The lightning struck the protective wall and exploded. The boy was cloaked in smoke. It quickly covered Goku and made its way towards the village. But it dissipated before reaching the Tai clan. 

    When the smoke had cleared, Ubuu was standing erect, a smug smile on his face. Goku also smiled, but his was filled was satisfaction. The boy had come a long way in a year. So the next step was obvious.

   "When the storm clears," Goku said, "Pack some things and tell your parents that you're going on a journey with me."

   "I shall obey if you tell me the destination." Ubuu said.

   "Tenkaichi Budoukin." Ubuu's eyes widened.

   "We're going to the tournament!" he exclaimed.

   "We're going to be in it."

   "You're kidding me!" Gohan cried. He slid down the ladder that he was on. He had been placing some new books he had collected into his personal library. That's where Goten and Trunks found him.

   "I thought you guys didn't want to participate anymore." He continued once he was on the floor.

   "We heard some interesting news." Trunks said.

   "You know Rick?" Goten asked. Gohan nodded, "Well, he's participating."

   "Ah, I see." Gohan said, chuckling, "This is about payback." The other two shrugged.

   "Makes my dad happy." Trunks said.

   "And I'm sure our dad wouldn't mind." Goten added.

   "No he wouldn't." Gohan said, "In fact he called me a few days ago. He wanted me to encourage you to enter. You saved me some trouble."

   "There are no phones where he is." Goten pointed out.

   "No, but in Caritas, a city five hundred miles northeast, there are."

   "What's he doing there?" Goten asked, puzzled.

   "He's taking the long way to the tournament." Goten's jaw dropped. "And he's bringing Ubuu." Goten and Trunks looked at each other in panic.

   "Your house." Goten said.

   "Right." They rushed out.

    Bulma walked up the stairs to her daughter's room, her high heels clicking on the wooden steps. She was wearing a pale blue blazer, with a white blouse and a blue skirt that reached her knees. She had her purse about her wrist. She carried a tray, which she was careful not to drop.

    When she reached Bra's room, the door opened. A blond hair girl with striking blue eyes stood there, holding the door. She was thirteen, a lot older than the two girls who were playing with dolls behind her. Well, one of them at least.

   "I brought you all some cookies." Bulma said.

   "Thanks Mrs. Briefs." The girl said, taking the tray.

   "Well, I got to get going. Thank you again Maron for coming over to baby-sit."

   "Anytime Mrs. Briefs." She said. Bulma walked over to Bra and gave a kiss.

   "You play nice now." She said.

   "Always." Said the little girl. Bulma smiled, then left the room, leaving the door open. As she went down the stairs, Maron took a cookie and offered some to Bra. Then she turned to the girl who was making the dolls fight with each other.

   "Do you want a cookie Pan?" the girl looked up.

   "Not hungry." She said. She continued to play with her dolls. Bra started to complain that Pan did not know how to play with dolls.

   "They don't fight each other." She was saying. But Pan had stopped playing with the dolls and gazed out the door. Suddenly she jumped up and ran out the room and down the stairs. Maron had no idea why she did that, so she followed. When she reached the base of the stairs, she could hear Pan laughing. Then she heard a voice.

   "Pen?"

   "Pan." Was Pan's reply.

   "Pon."

   "Pan."

   "Pin."

   "Pan!" she yelled. Maron heard a thumb. Walking around a corner, she saw Goten on the floor and Trunks on the ceiling.

   "Your louder than Veggie." Trunks said. Pan laughed. Goten sat up. That's when he spotted Maron.

   "Hello there." Goten said, "How goes the business?"

   "Pretty good." Maron replied, "But I thought you guys were going to try and get into a club."

   "Number one: we don't need to try." Trunks said from the ceiling. "Number two: We had a change of plans. We decided to actually train for the tournament."

   "Why the change of heart?" Maron asked.

   "We don't want to be beaten by Ubuu." Maron gave a questioning look, "The boy that my dad left with last year."

   "Ah."

   "Is grand-pa coming back?" Pan asked, excited. Goten answered in the affirmative, picking Pan up. He handed her to Trunks, still on the ceiling.

   "I bet my sister is making you play with dolls." Pan nodded, "Well, I'm stuck up here. If you can pull me down, we'll let you train with us." 

   "Really?" Trunks nodded vigorously. Without another word, Pan pulled at Trunks arms. At first, the going was slow. Then Pan put her heart into it.

   "Holy sh-" Trunks fell to the floor. He looked to see a smiling Pan.

   "What makes you think I'll let you come in here?" Vegita asked angrily. He was standing the gravity chamber. It was set to two hundred times Earth's gravity.

   "Because I live here." Trunks said over the intercom.

   "You know what the level is?" 

   "Yes."

   "You still want to come in?"

   "Yes." Vegita growled, thinking of way to keep his privacy. Then he saw it.

   "She won't survive." He pointed at Pan. Trunks and Goten looked down at her. She looked up, disappointment apparent on her face. Vegita saw it too and his will wavered.

   "We made a deal with her." Trunks said finally.

   "She won't survive." His father repeated. Pan whimpered. 

   "Turn that thing off if you're not using it!" Trunks let go of the intercom. Vegita was silent for a moment. Then he surprised them all.

   "You and Goten can come in. I'll take care of the girl." This caught the boys off guard but it pleased Pan greatly. She had grown quite fond of the saiyan prince. Vegita walked to the inner door. It opened and he stepped into the compression chamber. His body adjusted to normal gravity. He stepped out, leaving the door open for the boys. Then he did something that nobody had ever seen done before. He took Pan's hand and walked beside her. Trunks and Goten looked each other.

   "What just happened?" Goten asked after a pause.

   "I don't know." Trunks replied, "These past two days have been full of surprises."

    _Thanks Vegita._

    _This better repay my debt Kakkarot._

_    Train her until the tournament and you're off the hook._

_    This is cutting into my time._

_    I haven't been exactly working hard all year. Not like you anyway._

_    All right. But I'm not doing this again._

_    Don't be so sure about that. _


	3. 3

    Videl was preparing dinner for her daughter Pan. The champion's daughter was happy that was all she had to prepare; she had seen the size of Gohan's snacks. Fortunately, Pan did not have her father's appetite, or his intelligence; or his patience; nor his peaceful approach to life. No wonder Gohan kept saying, "She's your kid." whenever Pan had a tantrum. 

    That held two meanings. The obvious one was that Pan not only looked like Videl, but acted like her too. She was a fighter and a good one at that for someone her age. Videl feared that when Pan grew up, she would be stronger than her. The fact that Gohan asked her "So she's a grown up now?" did not encourage her. But, 'She's your kid' also meant that Gohan had little or no time for his daughter. He loved her very much; he would give his life for her. But Gohan was now working for Capsule Corporation. And Bulma gave him a very hard assignment, one that he had been working on for the past two years: designs for a spaceship. Bulma gave him four years to have a working vehicle ready. Videl thought that Bulma was crazy. Gohan did not. When she asked where he could begin, he said he had been on some. The thought he was crazy and that he worked so hard at it (his job not being crazy) meant that Videl had to watch over Pan.

    There were some exceptions. Sometimes when there was a crime in progress, Videl would ask Gohan to watch over her for a while. She knew that he had given up being Great Saiyanman. He knew she did not need his help anymore. So there would be times Gohan actually took care of his girl.

    Unless he was at a critical point in his designs, which only happened once.  And that was today. Fortunately Bulma herself saved Videl from trouble. Maron was going to watch over Bra for the day. If she wanted, Pan could come over. Maron did not mind.

    But now the day was done. If everything went well, Maron would be ringing the doorbell any minute now with Pan by her side. The doorbell did ring, but when Videl opened the door, she saw a very fatigued Goten carrying Pan in his arms. Her eyes were closed. Before she could ask, Goten answered.

   "She's alright." He whispered, "She's just asleep." The fear in Videl's eyes was replaced by confusion. 

   "What did she do?"

   "I'll explain after she's in bed." Videl accepted this. They went up to her room. Videl pulled the covers of the bed back while Goten placed the girl in the bed. After kissing her goodnight, Videl left the room, closing the door. Goten had gone ahead and was waiting for her in the den. She repeated her question and Goten explained that she wanted to train with them. When Videl heard that she ended up training with Vegita, her jaw dropped.

   "Vegita looked after her?" she asked in stunned amazement.

   "Yeah, that surprised us too." Goten replied, "So while Trunks and I were training in Vegita's gravity chamber, he was showing your kid some moves." Videl could not believe what she was hearing. She thought it very funny. She looked at Goten and saw he was feeling the same thing.

   "Your brother is not going to like this." She said after a pause. 

   "I think he'll just laugh and go make fun of Vegita afterwards." Goten said. They laughed.

   "Well," Goten said when their laughter died, "I'm going home to have a heart attack." He waved and left.

   "That's pretty high." Ubuu commented, craning his neck. He was looking at Karine's Tower, a building with many pictures of animals, people and events carved into its wood. And there were a lot of those because it rose high into the air. Goku never calculated the distance but he guessed it to be at least ten miles high. 

   "We'll be stopping at its base for the night." Goku said. "Tomorrow is the home stretch. I want to be at my house by lunch."

   "Hungry are we?" 

   "Very."

   "Then let's get going." Ubuu ran ahead. Goku quickly followed. A minute and fifteen miles later, they reached the base of Karin's tower. There were several tepees set up around the base. When Ubuu saw them, he stopped. He had never seen tepees before.

    A young girl came out of one. When she saw Ubuu, she raced back in. Seconds later, a tall, broad, muscular man came out. He had small red lines painted under his eyes. His hair was long and black. He carried a spear.

   "You are on sacred ground." He said, "Leave here at once." Ubuu started to say something.

   "Relax pal," Goku interrupted, "The boy's with me." He stepped out from the trees.

   "And who are you?"

   "Name's Goku. I'm a friend of Upa and his father."

   "Goku?" the man said. "The demon-killer."   
   "Umm…yeah I guess I am a demon-killer."

   "It is said that should the demon-killer return, he and any of his friends shall be welcomed. You may approach. I shall tell Tiwa of your arrival." The man left them heading towards a tepee closer to the base of the tower. Meanwhile, the other natives decided to come out and see the demon-killer. Most of them stared at him in awe. They whispered amongst each other as Goku walked towards Tiwa's house.

    Ubuu lagged behind, amazed to see how these people revered Goku. He had no idea that his master had such a widespread reputation. As he looked on, he felt a tugging at his shirt. He turned and saw the little girl who had spotted them when they arrived.

   "What is your name?" she asked.

   "Ubuu."

   "Are you a demon-killer too?" Ubuu smiled.

   "No."

   "Then why are you with him?" Ubuu followed the girl's gaze. An old yet healthy looking man was hugging Goku. Both were happy to see the other again.

   "He told me I was going to be a demon-killer when he was gone." Ubuu said finally.

    He continued to stare at Goku. The old man was pointing up at Karine Tower. Goku's eyes followed in that direction. The Ubuu noticed the concern on his master's face. The boy blinked. And his master was gone. 

    It took all of them a few seconds to realize that Goku had disappeared. They wondered where he could have gone. Ubuu got over the shock quickly. He looked up and saw Goku. He was flying straight up. He was alone. No, not alone. There was someone else in the air, coming down. When Goku was close to the other, he stopped. The person fell into his arms. Goku continued to go up. Ubuu soon lost sight of him.

   "You were able to see him?" a voice asked. Ubuu jumped. The old man had noticed the boy was looking up and approached him without a sound.

   "Yes," Ubuu reply, pretending he had not been startled, "He caught someone who was falling. I cannot see them anymore."

   "Ah," the old man said with relief, "Now I understand. Upa had no more strength and fell. Goku saw this and saved him yet again."

   "Again?" Ubuu asked. The old man chuckled. 

   "Yes," he said, reminiscing, "Goku first came to this sanctuary when he was twelve. The Red Ribbon army wanted a dragonball. They took my son and threatened to kill him. But Goku arrived, looking for the dragonball as well, but saved my son."

   "Wow." Ubuu whispered. Then a thought struck him, "Why do you Goku a demon-killer?"

   "Three years after Goku came here, a demon by the name of Piccolo was released upon this world. It took Goku two tries, both of them nearly killing him, but in the end he prevailed. He saved the world that day."

   "So that's why you called me that." Goku said. He was still a hundred feet up but his acute hearing picked every word as if Tiwa and Ubuu were next to him. He continued to descend alone.

   "Where is Upa?" Tiwa asked. 

   "Training with master Karine," Goku replied, "He won't be down for a long time."

   "It is a shame then." Tiwa said, "For he shall miss the feast." Goku's attention riveted on the old man.

   "Feast?"

   "What kind of feast?" Vegita asked over the phone.

   "One fit for a king." Gohan replied from the other end. Vegita leaned on the counter, thinking about Gohan's generous offer. He suddenly grew suspicious.

   "What's this about?" he asked.

   "It's a reunion party before the tournament." Gohan replied. Vegita paused again. Then it hit him.

   "You going to thank me in front of everyone for…_baby-sitting_ your brat aren't you?"

   "The thought crossed my mind." Gohan said, keeping his laughter in check.

   "Forget it then!"

   "My mom and Videl are cooking." Vegita growled. Though he never said it, they were the best cooks.

   "And we can get you those little chocolate-chip cookies from Felix and Norton that you like." Gohan said in a teasing voice.

   "Will you stop that!" he yelled. Some of the dishes vibrated. 

    He loved those cookies.

    Vegita was furious now. Never before had he been handed such a difficult decision. On the one hand, there was delicious food as well as the ridicule of the pathetic creatures that were to attend. On the other hand were no mocking and no eating. It was as if he had to decide to fight either Frieza or Buu. One would bring him pleasure, but no honor. The other would kill him but he would be honored.

    And the worst part of it all was that he knew he would not be able to threaten the others. Not because of Kakkarot. Not because of Trunks. Not even because of Bulma. Vegita could not attack these people because something inside him was restraining him. He never understood what it was or when it came about, but he just did not feel like killing or being violent anymore. Which is why it was no surprise to him when he told Gohan he would be there. And it angered the prince when Gohan replied without a hint of surprise. The boy knew too.


	4. 4

    Dark gray clouds rolled across the ocean. They collided often, lighting the sky and destroying the silence. The winds picked to gale-strength, causing the ocean to unleash its full fury. Waves rose high, nearly touching the sky, and came crashing down, louder than the thunder. The rain came down in sheets as thick as walls. This was the weather Goku forced Ubuu to fly in.

   "I will make you regret this!" Ubuu yelled, shielding his eyes from the rain with his hand. He knew full well he would never carry out his threat. Goku laughed at the boy.

   "What about if you have to fight in this type of weather?" asked Goku.

   "Then I shall fight." Ubuu replied, "But I do not have to fight at this moment. We could have stayed at Karine's tower for a little longer." The tepees had been very warm and comfortable, compared to what he was used to, and it was bright and sunny there too.

   "You wanted to stay warm?" Goku asked.

   "Yes."

   "You wanted more of their good food?"

   "Yes."

   "You wanted to get to know Atika better?" Ubuu wanted to say yes but then he understood Goku's question. He growled instead. The saiyan laughed again. Atika was Tiwa's daughter. She was a lovely woman, with long brown hair and beautiful eyes. Ubuu was attracted to her instantly. Both Goku and Tiwa noticed this at the feast. Only Goku knew that the feeling was mutual.

   "I understand you perfectly." Goku said, "That's why I promise I'll bring you back after the tournament." Goku flew upright and backwards just to see if the boy agreed. Ubuu did, by nodding. The saiyan winked at him, then flew straight up. Ubuu was not expecting this.

   "Where are you going?" Ubuu asked, following his master.

   "Making a compromise." came the reply. Goku picked up speed. Ubuu matched the saiyan's speed, keeping only a few feet between. They drew closer to the lightning-ridden clouds. Without even a twitch, Goku burst through the clouds. Ubuu gulped, just before the clouds engulfed him.

    He could not anything in the clouds, but he was able to sense Goku's presence. The saiyan was still going up. It was a few seconds, but they emerged from the clouds. The sky was still dark. It took a while for the boy to notice, but he soon saw that they were between two layers of clouds that stretched as far as his eye could see. Both layers would often light up and then grow somber again.

    They passed through the second layer without incidence. On the other side was a black sky. Ubuu looked east and saw the sun rising slowly, illuminating the clouds and changing the color of the sky from black to orange and finally, blue. Ubuu had seen many sunrises before but never from this high up. It was beautiful.

   "The compromise," Goku said, startling his apprentice, "Is that we make it to Capsule Corporation by noon but we fly up here instead."

   "It's cold here." Ubuu said, shivering a little.

   "You get used to it." replied Goku, "Besides, there's no rain up here and there's no chance of being struck by lightning."

   "I guess so." The boy paused, "I thought you said you wanted to go to your house."

   "Two reasons for the change," the saiyan explained, "One, my wife and son are there all day, as well as the rest of my gang. And two, that's where lunch and dinner will be."

   "Good enough."

   "Now what?" Videl asked.

   "Let it boil for a while." Chichi replied, stirring another pot, "Then turn the heat off." Videl put down her stirring spoon and went over to Gohan, whose hand was a blur. He was cutting more vegetables. The pile of whole carrots next to him was quickly diminishing. It was if they disappeared, but Videl's eyes were able see, barely, that Gohan would grab said carrot and place it in front of him before slicing it to pieces.

    Videl slid an arm around his shoulder while inspecting her husband's work. She was glad that Gohan could cook as well. Including him, there were five people who ate the same amount as ten people. Pan was also starting to show signs of a large appetite, worrying her mother.

   "Restaurants would kill to have chefs as fast as you." Videl said.

   "Well," Gohan stopped cutting, "no point in asking me. I hate those hats they wear."

   "Oh really?" Videl asked, teasing him, "I think you would look really cute in one of them."

   "Yeah, but then my hair would get messed up." He pointed at the long, black hair that shot straight up from his head, "Can't mess up the hair." Videl chuckled and then kissed him softly. Then she ruffled his hair.

   "I can mess up the hair." She left the kitchen. Gohan followed her with his eyes while trying to place his hair.

   "Yeah, she can mess up the hair alright." He mumbled. He soon forgot about it and resumed his task.

    Videl Pan and Bra in the garden, located on the east side of Capsule Corporation. They were pushing aside some of the plants, looking through the tall grass. Videl was about to ask if they were allowed when she saw a flash of white hair. She shut her mouth, guessing at what was going on.

    Her guess was soon proven right when Bra saw the same white hair and ran at it, crashing through the bushes. Before she reached it, Trunks jumped up from his hiding place and took off. Pan joined in the chase, coming from Trunks right. She dove, meaning to tackle him. But Trunks caught in mid-air. That's when Bra ran into him, knocking all of them down.

   "Caught you!" Bra said.

   "You got to go the jail now." Pan added. Trunks complained, but the girls pointed to the bench near the entrance. Trunks walked over to it, sighing, looking sad. Once he sat down, he looked at Videl with puppy-eyes.

   "I'm in jail." He said in a wimpy voice. Then he smiled. Videl shook her head. Suddenly, there was a shriek. Videl's head snapped back up. She breathed again when she saw that it was Maron. Pan had snuck up on her. Maron was sent to jail. There was one left. Or so she thought.

    Another scream, this time from Bra. Trunks stood up and tried to see what Goten was doing to frighten the little girl.

   "See Goten," he yelled, "I told you your face was scary."

   "How can you tell?" Goten asked. "I'm up here." Trunks looked to his right. He was able to discern his friend's outline in a tree twenty feet. Without asking, Trunks took to the air.

   "Bra what is it?" he asked, worried. She did not answer immediately.

   "There was a boy there." She said finally, "But now he's not there." Trunks was puzzled by this. But a rustling bush soon distracted him. He looked down, but saw nothing.

   "There's someone there." Goten announced, still in his tree, "I can feel their presence." Trunks rolled his eyes.

   "Idiot," he said to himself, "Ki detection." He focused now, trying to sense the unseen foe's spirit. He felt too. It was in the air. Trunks flew after it. Goten jumped from his perch, chasing after the invisible opponent. They quickly closed on it. But just before they reached it, the spirit moved out of the way.

    Whoever it was, intended for the two boys to collide into each other. But Goten and Trunks had worked with each other before and knew how to react in this situation. Goten remained on his course, while Trunks stopped dead in the air. Goten passed inches over his friend then dove down towards his target. It flew towards the bench. The two demi-saiyans hit the ground and stopped. The spirit did not move.

    Everyone stared at an empty bench, waiting for something. They did not expect a boy to suddenly appear on said bench. He was dark-skinned, with black hair and a black shirt that reached his knees, where it was ripped. The top-left side of the boy's shirt was ripped, exposing his pec. 

   "Who are you?" Videl asked, recovering the fastest from the shock. 

   "My student." A voice answered. Videl turned around. Trunks and Goten were side by side. On Goten's right shoulder was a man's left foot. On Trunks' left shoulder was a man's right foot. Even on the ground, Videl knew he would tower over the boys. Ten she realized that one of the boys was this man's son.

   "Goku?" she asked incredulously. 

   "Grandpa!" Pan cried. She jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly.

   "Hey there!" Goku said, hugging her back, "How's my little girl doing?"

   "Good grandpa!"

   "Hey dad?"

   "What's up Goten?" The saiyan looked down at his son. "Besides me and the sky of course."

   "Airplanes." Goten added, "But what I really wanted to say was that, it's great to have you back." He smiled.

   "Thanks." Goku said. Goten nodded.

   "Now get off me."

    It was an outburst of joy that greeted Goku when he went into the kitchen. Chichi was the first one to notice him, having placed a dish in the oven. When she stood up, he was standing in the doorway. She gasped and that caught Gohan's attention. He followed his mother's gaze and saw his father. Gohan dropped the knife he held and hugged his father. Chichi ran over. Goku opened up one arm and hugged his wife and his son. They held each other until a flash of light prompted them to let go. 

   "Now that was a cute picture." Bulma said, holding her camera. Goku smiled at her and opened his arms for her. She accepted the embrace.

   "Good to see you again." He whispered in her ear. She smiled at him. 

    Then she thought she heard a herd of some sort come running down the hallway. It turned out to be the children and Videl, who was trailing. Trunks had his sister on his shoulders while Goten carried his niece on his back. Ubuu and Maron stood side by side. They all looked expectantly at Bulma. She sighed.

   "The pizzas will be here in a few minutes." She said. 

   "Yeah!" they exclaimed in unison.

   "Pizza?" Goku asked, with a look of delight on his face.

   "Pizza?" Ubuu asked, his tone indicating his ignorance of the world's most popular pizza.

   "We have much to teach you." Goten said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Goku sighed.

   "There goes a year's work of purification." He said.

   "I'm not that bad." Goten said defensively. Goku gave him the 'yeah right' look. Goten flashed a nervous smile. The doorbell saved him. 

   "Pizza!" he cried. And then he disappeared.


	5. 5

    After everybody had pizza (varying from two slices to two whole mega-size pizzas) the chefs continued the tiresome task of cooking. Goku and the children carried out tables, chairs and other accessories to the backyard. They placed the cutlery, set up the buffet table and placed some torches around the yard. Around four-thirty, the chefs were done and brought the food out, making sure the others did not try to eat any of it.

    They saw a shadow fly over them. Looking up, they saw Yamcha and Master Roshi coming in for a landing. Yamcha landed gracefully while Master Roshi lost his footing and fell on his face.

   "I have to do more exercise." He said amidst the laughter of the others. Yamcha helped him up. Ten minutes later, Krillin and Eighteen were led to the party by one of Bulma's robotic escort. They embraced their daughter and greeted Goku, Krillin with warmth and joy, Eighteen with politeness and an icy stare.

   "You haven't changed." Goku commented. She grunted and turned away.

    With five minutes before the official party started, Tien descended from the skies, followed by Piccolo, Dende and…

   "Chaozu?" Goku called as a clown-faced midget appeared from behind Tien. Those on the ground looked and were just as surprised. They crowded around him, asking how he was doing, what was up and so on. Chaozu replied with his usual high-pitched, calming voice. 

    While they talked, a large crowd formed in front of Bulma's home. Lights kept flashing and there was a great deal of talking. Everyone except Ubuu knew whom it was.

   "Who is it?" he asked. His question was soon answered by the crowd's chanting.

   "Satan! Satan! Satan!" they were saying. Goku hopped over the fence and ran to the front yard. He was glad he had changed into his favorite Tommy Bahamas shirt and black shorts, because there were many cameras. The saiyan did not want to have his picture taken, but if they did, at least he would look good. He pushed his way through the crowd towards Satan, where security guards blocked him off. The saiyan whistled a birdcall. Satan turned and saw Goku. He motioned him forward. Goku whispered something in his ear, then left just as quickly as he came. He hoped no camera got a good shot of him.

   "Ladies and gentlemen!" Satan yelled over the noise of the crowd. They quieted immediately. "My good friend has just told me that we are causing far too much noise and wish that you would leave immediately. They want to celebrate in peace and so do I." Many people disagreed and asked him to stay or if they could come in. But Satan turned his back on them and went into the house. Some people made a run for the door. They did not notice the guard that had slipped in unnoticed after Satan.

   "Stay out of my house!" Vegita yelled, throwing the intruders out. He then slammed the door shut.

    With Vegita's arrival, the party officially began. As it is customary at all meals, the Earthlings picked the food they wanted first. Believing that they had enough to fill them, they left the rest of the buffet to the saiyans, who were onto seconds when most of the regular humans were halfway through their first. And the saiyans were eating slowly.

    During the course of the meal, the Z-gang chatted with each other but the main focus was on Ubuu, the newest member of their family. Though this was the second time any of them had seen him (excluding Goku of course), they accepted without suspicion. Questions were asked of course; they knew very little about the boy. Ubuu had much insight on them though, for Goku had frequently spoken about them during the year they spent together. From what his master had told him, Ubuu was able to identify all of the people at the party. Even Chaozu.

   "Not too nervous?" Goku asked him during his fourth helping.

   "No." Ubuu said. From his tone, Goku could tell he spoke truthfully.

    Once the gang knew who Ubuu was, their attention drifted towards Vegita. It was by dessert before Vegita felt any real humiliation. He was cutting a piece of cake for himself when he felt something grab his leg. The prince looked down and saw little Pan looking up at him.

   "What do you want brat?" Vegita asked, forcing annoyance into his voice. He felt the others watching him. Vegita knew Gohan had put her up to this. What was she going to say?

   "Can I have a piece of cake?" Pan asked. The saiyan was relieved. She wanted cake. That was simple and it made sense. He was holding the knife. Then he thought, _I'm a prince! Why am I serving this brat? _ He almost said no, but something in Pan's eyes made him grab a plate, cut a slice and give it to Pan. He turned to leave when the trap was sprung.

   "Thank you Uncle Veggie!" Pan said loudly. Vegita stopped dead in his tracks.

   "What?" he asked angrily. He whirled around but Pan had already sat down next to her father. Who was laughing along with everybody else. Even Ubuu was laughing, thanks to Vegita's reaction. Goku had to decide whether he should laugh or not. But the glare that Vegita gave him made Goku burst. 

    The prince did not know what to do. He was debating between attacking the entire group, replacing the laughter with screams, or running away. Vegita did not feel like dispensing energy on these worthless creatures and running away would mark him as a coward, making them laugh more. So he settled on his third choice. He chuckled softly and then took a bite of his cake. 

    After a few more hours of celebration, in which more fun was poked at Vegita as well as the others, the gang began to leave at different times. Chichi was the first to leave, having to use Nimbus to get back home. How Goten got her on it, Goku could not guess. People left in groups of two or three. At ten, Goku, Goten and Ubuu were the only guests that had not left.

   "Thanks for everything Bulma." Goku said, then kissed her on the cheeks. 

   "Thank you for coming to see us." She said. 

    Goten shook hands with Trunks, kissed Bra on the forehead then stretched his hand towards Vegita. He accepted it.

   "See you tomorrow Uncle Veggie." Said Goten. Vegita squeezed the boy's hand, causing Goten to drop to one knee.

   "That is how you are supposed to be in front of a prince." Vegita said. Trunks laughed as Goten pulled his hand out of Vegita's vice-grip.

   "Note to self: His name is Vegita." Goten said, shaking his hand.

   "Very good." The prince said. With that, Vegita went into his house as the guests left.

    In the air, Goten noticed his father had a worried look on his face. It was as if he were expecting something.

   "What's up?" he asked. Goku did not answer. Goten was wondering what could trouble his father so when Ubuu spoke.

   "What did Vegita mean when he said, 'That is how you are supposed to be in front of a prince.'?"  Goku's face remained the same, but Goten could now tell what was troubling him. Ubuu did not know everything about the Z-gang.

   "You don't need to know just yet." Goku finally said, "I'll explain after the tournament." Ubuu accepted this but was not pleased by this. They flew on in silence.

   "Did you hear that?" 

   "Yes, I did."

   "The boy does not know the truth about his master."

   "No, he does not…we can use this to our advantage."

   "Care for the seed of mistrust within?"

   "Yes…but we must be careful."

   "Indeed we must."

   "He is very powerful."

   "But if we play the cards right, he will be a very powerful ally."

   "We must corrupt his heart first."

   "He is but a child. The difficulty will be to keep him loyal to our cause."

   "If done correctly, he will be."

   "Yes…he will be."


End file.
